1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to power supplies and, more particularly, a down converter circuit and methods for operating the same.
2. Description of Background
Chip manufactures often look for ways to increase the functionality delivered by their integrated circuits. One way of increasing functionality is to operate integrated circuits at higher frequencies. However, circuits operating at higher frequencies typically consume more power and generate higher amounts of heat. Dissipating large amounts of heat from small circuit areas can often be difficult.
One method of decreasing the amount of heat generated by an integrated circuit is to lower the operating voltage of the circuit. Lowering the operating voltage of integrated circuits can introduce new sets of problems, such as effective power distribution across the chip due to resistive losses.
One solution for efficient the power distribution is to distribute a relatively high voltage to the chip and use down converters to lower the supply voltage at various chip locations. The present invention discloses an efficient down converter circuit that can be used on integrated circuits.